1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector with a lock for locking a terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,701 discloses a connector with a housing that has a cavity for receiving a terminal fitting. A resilient lock is cantilevered along a bottom wall of the cavity and a deformation space is formed on a side of the lock opposite the cavity. The lock deforms into the deformation space in response to forces created as the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity. The lock restores resiliently when the terminal fitting reaches a proper insertion position and locks the terminal fitting in the cavity.
The bottom wall of the cavity remains at both left and right sides of the lock to support the terminal fitting from below. These support sections of the bottom wall extend in from the inner sidewalls of the cavity and are supported only at one side.
FIG. 10 herein shows a lock 101 for locking a terminal fitting 102 in a cavity 103. The cavity 103 is defined partly by bottom wall sections 104 that extend a distance W in from the sidewalls towards the lock 101 for supporting the terminal fitting 102 from below. The cavity 103 and the terminal fitting 102 both are wider than the lock 101, and hence the width W of each bottom wall sections 104 is relatively large. The strength of each bottom wall section 104 is reduced as the width W is increased. Thus, the terminal fitting 102 may not be supported securely.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to support securely a terminal fitting even if a cavity is wider than the lock.